Ainsley Harriott's midweek Malta-inspired pork chops
All week he’s been serving up sunshine, sea and delicious dishes in his new ITV series ‘Taste of Malta’ and today, Ainsley Harriott is cooking up a dish inspired by his recent travels, thyme and garlic pork chops served with a delicious potato bake. It’s the perfect midweek meal, and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
Pan-fried thyme and garlic pork, blistered tomatoes and Maltese baked potatoes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the pork and tomatoes:
4 tbsp white wine 2 tbsp olive oil, plus an extra drizzle3 sprigs of thyme3 cloves of garlic, 1 minced, 2 whole and smashedSea salt and freshly ground black pepper4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1 inch thick, room temperature2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus an extra knob250g cherry tomatoes, wholeRunny honey, for drizzling (optional)200g asparagus spears, to serve200g broccolini, to serve 2 tbsp chopped parsley
For the Maltese baked potatoes: 1kg potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly bashed3 cloves of garlic, mincedSea salt and freshly ground black pepper 250ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
Method
To make the pork and blistered tomatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan.
2. In a large shallow dish, mix together the wine, 1 tbsp of olive oil, the leaves of one sprig of thyme, the minced garlic, and a generous grind of black pepper.
3. Add the pork chops and toss to coat well. Leave to marinate for an hour, or cover and chill to marinate for longer (remove from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook).
4. Remove the pork from the marinade, pat dry and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
5. Add 1 tbsp of oil to a large heavy based frying pan over a high heat and, when hot, add the pork.
6. Reduce the heat to a medium and cook for 2-3 minutes, searing all sides including the fat. Add the butter, the whole garlic cloves and thyme sprigs to the pan, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, turning and basting often with the juices, until the pork is cooked through.
7. Remove the pork from the pan, put the thyme springs and garlic on top, loosely cover with foil and allow to rest for 4-5 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes to the pan and let them sit undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir and cook the tomatoes for another 2 minutes until softened and starting to burst and char slightly. Drizzle a little honey, if using, and gently toss. Season with a little sea salt and remove from the heat.
9. While the tomatoes are cooking, put the asparagus, broccolini and a knob of butter in a sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add enough water to just cover the vegetables, and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes until tender. Keep warm.
To make the Maltese potatoes
1. Mix together the potatoes, oil, fennel seeds and garlic in a large bowl, and season well with salt and pepper.
2. Layer the potatoes and onions in a large oven-proof dish, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Pour the stock over the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until golden.
3. Serve the pork chops with the potatoes, and asparagus and broccolini as sides. Spoon the blistered tomatoes over the pork. Scatter with chopped parsley.